The Harvard Art Museums are presenting the Annual Henri Zerner Lecture in coordination with Harvard’s Department of History of Art and Architecture.
How does one write a history of Dutch art from the perspective of Albany, New York, a region known as Beverwijck and Rensselaerswyck in the seventeenth century? Engaging with Indigenous histories, the presence of Afro-Atlantic perspectives, and the ongoing impact of Dutch architecture and material culture within the Capital Region, this lecture will narrate a history of Dutch art through beavers and bovines, fences and dams, forestry, potsherds, and land deeds. Caroline Fowler, of the Clark Art Institute, will draw on the concept of “rewilding” in nature conservation to ask about the possibilities of beholding a natural world distinct from the commodification of nature that began with seventeenth-century Dutch landscape painting, and the simultaneous extraction of resources from the Americas. By turning to the archaeological (woodland and urban) record, Fowler will consider what remains as a path toward rewilding perception.
Practicalities
- The lecture will take place on Tuesday 29 April 2025, from in the Menschel Hall, Lower Level.
- The doors will open for seating at 5:30pm from the Broadway entrance.
- Limited complimentary parking is available in the Broadway Garage, 7 Felton Street, Cambridge.
- Free admission, but seating is limited and registration is encouraged. You can register for this event via a form by Harvard Art Museums, beginning Saturday 19 April at 10am.